Reliable Secure Wipe/TRIM? Gal S5 KLMAG2GEAC 4.4.4 - Verizon Galaxy S 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

First off, if this post is more appropriate for another forum, I would appreciate being pointed to where it would be a better fit. I considered the developer forums but I wasn't sure which one would be best. That said...
I am trying to do data recovery on a Samsung Galaxy S5 that was accidentally factory wiped.
After extracting the image with dd shortly after the incident, I have had no luck in examining the image after several extensive attempts using a wide variety of tools. In truth, judging by the image, it seems that the vast majority of the drive is zeroed out.
However, a number of research projects have shown that Android phones tend not to be securely reformatted up through Android 4.x, and although this has improved over the last several Android versions (beginning with 4.3, if I recall correctly), it seems that it often boils down to correctly implementing the driver for the flash memory chip.
As such, I would like to know if anyone knows how reliable the kernel driver for Android 4.4.4 is in terms of secure deletion for the Galaxy S5 memory chip (KLMAG2GEAC). I've looked through the stock recovery source code, and it looks like it does everything expected of it down to an ioctl(), but after digging through the kernel, I've come to the drivers for MMC and can't make heads or tails of how well they function from just the source code alone (I'm also not a driver programmer, which doesn't help). This is especially so for the Samsung-specific code, since those files seem to be particularly poorly documented.
Does anyone have experience with the secure delete/TRIM functions of this chip, or data recovery when it does not seem to be possible from a direct dd-derived disk image? I'm pretty much out of ideas at this point, and although I want the data back, if it's impossible I'd rather know now so I can start using my phone again.
Thank you very much for any help.

Related

What are the Benefits of Rooting?

So i have looked into rooting and it doesn't seem to hard but I am a bit nervous about messing up my phone and not being able to fix it and am not sure whether or not its worth rooting and possibility of not being able to receive any more T-Mobile Upgrades (assuming they continue to).
What are the benefits, as in does it make more space, faster, etc?
Also if i root on my default 1GB MicroSD and buy a larger SD card like i plan to can i just switch them or will it mess everything else after flashing and rooting.
The biggest advantage for rooting for me was Apps2SD and being able to experiment with new ROMS. Additionally, I really enjoy being able to have certain things before they come out officially. For example, before Cyanogen got his C&D order, he was including the newer Market app in his builds. I was able to install Google Navigation before anyone had it. I am running a CM build that has all sorts of eclair icons. There is a noticeable speed increase over official builds. Having access to the command line (terminal) is a plus for quickly moving files, copying files, etc.
There are many, many reasons. Finally, rooting my android device has given me a new appreciation for open source and linux programming as a whole. Its also made me learn the ins and outs of my device because the process of rooting and tinkering with the device forces you to learn lots along the way.
I would take the plunge if I were you....
Cheers,
DM
Just research the howtos, trust me they are everywhere when you search for them.
Other than installing the Danger SPL, which really isn't needed you can literally do anything to your phone short of throwing it on the ground and recover from it with a little effort.
When I ordered my phone I had to wait 2weeks for it to arrive and researched the heck out of it. When I rooted my phone you had to do it the long hard way that well took a bit more effort than now, but there are some rather simple ways to do it now.

[Q] Repartitioning Problem

Hi, I'm really sorry if this is considered cross posting, but I'm starting to get desperate here and really need help. I'm on a deadline and running out of time, I need to figure this out somehow and have been bashing away for almost 24 hours now.
My question is in this thread - and is the last post.
I am actively online and working on this. I'm starting to consider just reverting to stock from the recovery partition and then building everything from scratch, but if I can avoid that time vampire I would like to. Does anyone know what's going on, have some ideas, or anything?
Next step, I'm going to try the 1Gb 5Gb repartition that Dean originally developed. Though with my Nook broken already and my inability to restore it to a working state despite having a ton of perfectly fine Nan backups, I have doubts as to whether anything will change there.
I'll monitor both threads. Thanks in advance for any guidance/help.
Edit: Still plugging away, last steps mentioned above didn't work. Next steps: I'm reading Leaping Lar's partition fix thread and getting some ideas. am going to try:
Flash Partition > Boot to CWR
Format > Flash to CWR
Flash Dizzy Den's signed 4.1 zip > Boot to CWR
Flash my Registered Nan backup of Stock 4.1. > Boot to MMC, get a look around
I think I already did this, but left out the last step. Might work as it should restore my registration data instead of starting me from an unregistered account. If it seems worth trying at that stage, I will then flash my registered Nan of 1.4.2 and get a look at that.
Speculation: I just realized, I've been trying to restore a backup of a rooted 1.4.2 over an unregistered 1.4.1 - which is what I keep getting reverted to. I don't know if that matters, but my hope is if I flash my registered backup over what I'm reverted to, then build up to registered 1.4.2, that will help things... We'll see.
Failing all of this, I will try Leapin' Lar's partition repair.
I have finished reading the Partition thread I linked to above (where my original post is) and found that one other person reported my issue, almost to the T. His/Her user name is Blondie. Blondie seems to have quit without a fix, or if ever got a fix it was never posted. It was quite some time ago, but if any of those who helped him/her can remember if there was a fix would you let me know what it was?
Screw the original nook firmware. Go install CM7 Mirage ROM.
Rooting a stock nook is pointless. CM7 is better, faster, more efficient than stock and it comes rooted by default.
Now that your serial number is probably gone or corrupted in the /rom partition, you most likely cannot register your nook with the B&N servers, and that is probably why you can't install apps.
If you need a complete partition table wipe, follow this guide. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1759558
Next time you decide to mess around, be sure you backup your ROM and factory partition before doing anything.
sagirfahmid3 said:
Screw the original nook firmware. Go install CM7 Mirage ROM.
Rooting a stock nook is pointless. CM7 is better, faster, more efficient than stock and it comes rooted by default.
Now that your serial number is probably gone or corrupted in the /rom partition, you most likely cannot register your nook with the B&N servers, and that is probably why you can't install apps.
If you need a complete partition table wipe, follow this guide. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1759558
Next time you decide to mess around, be sure you backup your ROM and factory partition before doing anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have backups of everything. As I said above, they aren't wholly functional.
I never said I was completely unable to install apps, or that I couldn't register with B&N. I can register fine, and in some scenarios I can indeed download my apps just fine, just not if I try and restore a MN Nan backup. That is not because of a missing SN but because of a registration issue that can be caused by the MN process - otherwise I would not be able to download them at all in any scenario.
Also, if you know the MN process you know my factory partition is intact. Perhaps the partitioning messed with it a little, I'm not sure - but nowhere did I say I have yet tried to reset to stock from the factory partition, so we have no real way of knowing yet.
I understand that my OP is starting to get tl;dr because I don't want to double-post, but actually reading what has been done so far and reading the post at the original thread I linked to might be more useful in trying to give people advice. A little less snark would be useful too, I am not a n00b at this by a long shot and talking down to people tends to get hackles up instead of being productive - especially when you clearly haven't read their thread - as an example, if you had read it, you would have seen I already know about Leapin' Lar's partition fix and it's one of the next things I plan to try..
On the other hand, I may take your suggestion about installing CM7 Mirage. Honestly, I had my reasons for not doing that in the past, but those reasons are largely moot today. I will get a look at the thread. Thank you for the suggestion.
You're right, I apologize for not reading thoroughly. I had a derp moment.
No worries Sagirfahmid, I owe you an apology too. I'm sorry to have jumped on you, I am a little bit... stressed, and tired. Not that it's any great excuse. I need to take my own advice about talking to people. Sorry.
And fwiw, I believe you are right and the original partition did mess with the factory partitions, I've just been avoiding facing it. I really ought to get off the fence and run the repair and then follow Dean's guide to using fdisk on the emmc, but I'm getting OCD about trying every other thing first - even down to considering a flat reset to factory and rebuild from scratch. Stupid, I know.
Thing is, there is at least one other person out there who had this exact problem, and it didn't sound like her issue ended up being a corrupt partition as the partition repair didn't help her. Unless it was too corrupted. I know there were a lot of people running the same system as me, and it was very stable. Someone besides me and one other person has to know what this is and how to deal with it. That's what I'm hoping anyway. LOL
And seriously, thank you again for the reminder that there are other options out there that might better suit me now. The more I read the more I think if I can just reset the darned thing to a fully working state, I may well just do an SD CM10... or should I just stick with Mirage? Is there an advantage to Mirage over 10.2?
Yes definitely. It's faster--that's the most obvious advantage. (I disabled all the fancy animations and removed a lot of useless system apps like the phone, contacts, calendar, camera, and GPS app via adb).
Also, CM7 Mirage has USB host mode, so if you get a male microUSB to female standard USB port, it is very possible to use a keyboard or mouse, or a flashdrive or harddrive (if you get a powered hub). AFAIK, the max current it can supply without a powered hub is 100mA (enough for a flashdrive or keyboard/mouse that isn't too fancy--skip the ones with LEDs; each LED uses around 15mA).
Oh yeah, CM10 runs in phone UI (there's an extra bar on top taking up space).
In CM7, there's only 1 bar, so you have a bigger area on the screen. Of course, there is a patch to get CM10 into tablet mode, but I don't like all the hassle.
On CM7, you can overclock the CPU to 1.2GHz, but on CM10, it's limited to 1.1GHz AFAIK.
=====================================================
Right now, I'm hoping to get Debian ARM natively installed on the Nook Color. I've been making progress thanks to the devs and users here. Android is still required, but it will be on top (instead of the other way around, which is Android on top and Debian chrooted). SInce they'll be using the same kernel, I think I can get Debian to use the Nook Color's USB port to connect devices like printers or scanners (that would be so awesome...).
If you're interested in running full blown Debian on the NC, and assuming that you are able to fix yours, you can check out this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2422518
Solved
Sorry for the double post. Need to separate this from the wall o text above. Problem is solved and since I never did find a spelled out definite answer while I was reading the last 2 days, I want to post it here where someone who might be looking in the future might easily find it.
To reiterate the problem concisely for those who don't have time for the diatribe above:
My device is a Green dot Nook Color:
* Running a stable Manual Nooter 5.08.20 over a Stock B&N 1.4.2 ROM, and using > This < method to block OTA Updates - basically use a SQLite Editor for Andriod to modify the fota mode in the nook's registry.
I recently started getting the Low Memory message asking me to please archive some of my apps to SD. Am about to go on a long trip abroad and I not only needed what apps I had but also need a couple more. Solution: Repartition the Data and Media partitions.
Full backups: have a whole slew of backed up NC B&N Update zips, Flashable updates created by several awesome people here, and step-by step Nan Backups of every single time I have re-rooted my device after a B&N Update - signed and registered stock configs, roots and final images, and finally a whole store of dated backups of my Tibu backups off of my SD card.
So, I repartition following steps exactly.
* At first reboot, CWR freezes on load. This makes me thing something went horribly wrong.
* Reboot again, everything seems to Format fine, reboot into Nook
* Unlike most people, my nook has reverted to an unregistered stock 1.4.1, no root.
* Flash my latest Nan-backup of my rooted NC, doesn't take properly and B&N is a mess because (duh) I didn't register it before flashing - But I shouldn't have needed to because all of those settings were in my Nan Backup. Okayyyy... weird.
* Flash back to a Registered stock NC nan backup of 1.4.2 since that was the last version I used. I was able to DL books and read them, and could DL apps - but my apps couldn't install at all and there were a couple of new B&N Apps that were stuck in a DL/Install loop too. Hm.
* Flash an earlier root Nan over that. Now my Nook can't download anything, I get an error message that it cannot execute. Lovely.
* Bash around in this fashion trying to make it work, occasionally trying different partition schemes in the process, while reading every thread I can find on the subject of what issues I'm having.
I begin to suspect that my partitions might be all messed up, especially considering the original freeze from CWR, but have no real way to check that and don't want to give up, so I post in the instruction thread and later here to see if anyone has any guidance or knows what this is.
A whole slew of people have endorsed this method and had no problems.
A few people had some problems, but only one user has reported exactly my problem off of the exact build I was running, no less. (1st link is that user's first post and 2nd is the page where her posts begin). However, that thread ended with no real answer - or so I thought.
At once point before the issue ended with no further response from the poster with the issues, Leapinlar (who had been assisting her, or at least trying to) tells her that if his Partition Repair didn't solve anything, then it likely wasn't the problem. If she cannot get her B&N Apps to DL & Install, then it's most likely the version of the B&N Stock that she is on and she needs to flash to the most recent - he even points her to a signed CWR Flashable one that he created for 1.4.3. She argues that can't be the issue - and I get that, because the apps installed and worked before in 1.4.1 right? So why all of a not now simply because she's back on 1.4.1 again?
I don't know why B&N would have made it so that you can't install any older apps on your device even though they installed on older ROM versions, forcing people to move up to 1.4.3, but it appears to me that this is exactly the case and Leapinlar is once again correct.
Took me a long time to internalize that and have it click. After running his Partition Repair with the same results as her, I left it on a registered 1.4.1 Stock, put the NC down and stepped away for a while to do other things. when I came back I was fixated on what Leapinlar said about flashing to a newer version of B&N Stock. So I did. And when that didn't really fix it I flashed up to the next ans last version, 1.4.3.
Hallelujah, problem solved!
For my own apps to download, I had to wait for a couple of new ones sent to Nooks from B&N for version 1.4.3 to download and install - and they were not able to do that on earlier versions. I propose that their inability to install was what was blocking my other apps. but it could be that the others were also made version specific once B&N stopped making NCs in favor of HD's and the Tablet, and released the final update.
Regardless, that is the final answer. If you are on MN and repartition, and then find when you boot you are taken to unregistered stock, and upon registering you can access your books but your apps will not install after downloading and you have a couple of new ones that seem stuck at dlownload and install, all you need to do is Update your NC to the final release, 1.4.3, and the re-root. I think you will need to re-root from scratch, unless maybe your last root backup was from 1.4.3 - which mine was not.
Next dilemma: Stick with root or start running a CM ROM from SD...
I'm a cheapskate, that's the truth. I am a geek, I want to do **** with my devices and I don't care if I end up bricking them so long as there are ways to recover. I also care about my privacy. I don't stick with the stock firmware because:
1. B&N wants you to REGISTER with your CREDIT CARD to be able to actually USE the Nook Color. Why the hell?
2. B&N possibly has BACK DOORS to your Nook Color. They might DRM lock apps or something. They can obviously force updates onto their users unless they root. They might also decide it's time to brick your tablet if they wanted, so you would go buy another one (yes, this is more of a conspiracy theory, but hey, if they can force updates, they surely can also do this).
3. B&N's custom Android is crippled unless you root. You can't use the 5GBs of space. Why the hell not?
etc etc...there are more reasons I don't stick with any stock firmware, be it for a tablet or phone.
(I use Debian on my computer most of the time now because Windows is a piece of crap. You can't do whatever you want on it, except game. Did I mention the useless startup services and apps you need, especially antivirus, for Windows to function without worries of getting a keylogger or some nasty virus? Valve has made Steam for Linux very usable, and I rarely use Windows for gaming now. Linux is tons faster, and I can do almost anything on it).
Have you ever used a T-Mobile smartphone? the apps that come installed are numerous! It makes me want to puke every time I use a stock Android phone from a phone company. I like and want my devices to only contain the apps I want. That means NO BACKDOORS, NO FISHY BACKGROUND PROCESSES, NO **** APPS, NO RESTRICTIONS.
======================================================
Backup the documents and whatever you have on your B&N firmware. Install CM7.2 Mirage onto INTERNAL SD card.
Stop being a wuss :silly: and start enjoying a better Android experience.
sagirfahmid3 said:
I'm a cheapskate, that's the truth. I am a geek, I want to do **** with my devices and I don't care if I end up bricking them so long as there are ways to recover. I also care about my privacy. I don't stick with the stock firmware because....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely understand! I have many of the same concerns and make workarounds and otherwise try to frustrate the usual 'Big Brother' tactic that are becoming so prevalent. I don't think you've gone into the realm of conspiracy theory at all, what you're talking about is a long term goal I think. Think of the marketing and capital profit possibilities of that kind of control over a still largely unregulated market - 'largely unregulated' because the technologies and the possibilities they allow are evolving so quickly.
I also am a 'computer geek', prefer control of my own devices and am very strict about personal security. So then why does B&N have my personal data? Largely because they had it far earlier than there was ever a blip on the tech radar of 'e-readers'. I'm also incredibly bookish and there haven't been a whole lot of B&N in my region, but I prefer their company as a book retailer, so I was a member that had begun ordering from them online as soon as they had a website to order from. So, it wasn't a huge loss for me to keep the stock and use it as intended. here are some things about this that do grate with me, yes, but they wouldn't have lost my data history anyway, so wth, I might as well get a really elegant e-reader interface from a company I mostly like and support. This is definitely not a situation that applies for everyone, I know.
I use windows on a secondary boot partition and funnily enough, largely for gaming. I also use it on a work laptop because I have to. I run Suse most of the time, myself.
As far as DRM, it' something we need to fight in the courts and through making our own backups for experimentation, and that's all I can really say.
When I bought my NC over two years ago, tablets were still pretty uncommon and e-ink readers all the rage. I splurged on this even though I was still using a flip phone because I felt it would serve multi needs well:
a) The need for an e-reader (I travel at least 1ce a year and I read a lot while traveling. Books are HEAVY! and I'm getting oilder...)
b) The desire for an e-reader that could read color and comics - so I could DL comics and fan creations and manga as well as books on the same device - and one that isn't an Apple (I dislike Apple as much as I dislike MS).
c) The desire to have a good interface in a size that is more readable than most phones on the market, to surf the web on or read the above during my long commutes.
d) The desire to have all of the above in one item that would also not tie me to a single seller - in other words I also wanted to run the Kindle App and Google books.
At the time, Kindle Fire had not been released and the next best machine (actually, tied as of the time I bought this nook) was an iPad. Other tablets out there were more expensive and glitchy and without that quality - some didn't even expect to ever update their android ROM. There was nothing on the market close to the NC in that price range - and I knew I could root it or otherwise replace the original ROM if I didn't like it, to do what I wanted, and essentially never brick it!
I chose MN over CM or Nightlies because I didn't have to mess with the factory partition at all or ever worry about replacing it, and it let me use my nook directly from system in a two-sided boot that had a tablet on one end and a Nook on the other. Very neat. I got the 3 yr warranty when I bought it because at that time they stated that you could return the NC within that time for a lower price on the next new thing. I plan to use that, so I wanted the original factory partition intact.
There are only two things today that would keep me from running a CM install or SD right now. The most important of those two is Battery Life.
The trip I'm about to go on is to India from the east coast of the US. We'll be gone about a month and my NC/Rooted or flashed tablet will be my ONLY mobile device. I need something stable, and that if I am not already familiar with it will be fairly intuitive, and most important - Good Battery Life. As far as I know, the CM ROMs for NC are energy hogs - is that still the case? We will have a lot of devices to try and keep charged, one plug adapter, and the NC will have a central role in our keeping in touch with family and friends. We we go for a day without a charge but with about 8 hours of use including wifi time on a MN root, I know I will still have enough charge the next day till we get to the next location where we can try and charge everything.
My other concern is more about running apps and what apps will work with the setup I'm planning - which I already know would work on my NC had I not hit the "Low Memory" wall and started all of this.
I am still interested in running CM, can you point me to info on these? For the second, I need to link to Canon Image Gateway wirelessly and also a Bloggie. I love that CM7 can run a USB interface! That's a huge advantage that I could use!
Even if I don't use it for this trip, I may change it when I get back to a CM7 sd boot to play with till I'm used to it. Also, I am rooting a NC for a Niece before I leave, and I think I'm going to change tactics and put CM on it instead.
As to smartphones... LOL. I still have a pay-as-you-go flip phone, wanna talk about being cheap and having security paranoia? XD Seriously, I spend a lot on my computers - which I prefer to build - and spent a lot on my tablet back when I bought it and when I replace it will consider carefully and spend on that again. =) Smartphones? I will get one eventually, it's a matter of time, but I'm holding out as long as I can. LOL
...I need something stable, and that if I am not already familiar with it will be fairly intuitive, and most important - Good Battery Life. As far as I know, the CM ROMs for NC are energy hogs - is that still the case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, CM ROMs have great battery life these days. I get 10 hours on my Nook Tablet (CM10, 4700mAH battery AFAIK); 8 hours on my Nook Color (CM7, 4000mAH battery. Obviously, it's going to have a slightly lower battery life). Also, keep in mind the li-ion battery is almost a year older than the Nook Tablet, so it has a decreased charge capacity. Li-ion's have a lifespan of 3 to 5 years--after than, you're gonna get crappy runtime on battery. Good news is li-ions are very recycle-able and non-toxic. I think most major electronics stores accept li-ions for free.
The only issue with stability is that, if you have wi-fi set to "always on" in CM7, sometimes you'll get a SOD (screen of death) after an extended period of sleep. Basically, your screen will fail to turn on--you must force power off and restart the NC. The guaranteed workaround is to set the wi-fi setting to "only when screen is on." You can safely overclock your CPU to 1GHz (+200MHz past stock 800MHz) guaranteed, and 1.2GHz almost guaranteed (I have mine at 1.2GHz, no freezes or crashes at all, and I run Debian chrooted in it currently, which takes a lot of power).
My other concern is more about running apps and what apps will work with the setup I'm planning - which I already know would work on my NC had I not hit the "Low Memory" wall and started all of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All CM builds can transfer apps' storage location to the external microSD if you wish. I have all my games and non-essential apps on my 32GB class 10 microSD, both on my NC and NT. Again, don't forget, the CM7 build for NC has USB host mode (so if you were really crazy, you could possibly plug in a 3TB+ mechanical harddrive, with a powered hub of course). Don't forget, the Nook Color also has bluetooth (which isn't there on B&N software). I have successfully transferred files between my netbook and my NC via bluetooth (but you have to be within 1 to 2 feet distance lol, unless you tear apart the NC and mod an antenna or something). You can also use an external bluetooth GPS receiver and bluetooth headset. Go look on the NC accessories thread if interested.
Even if I don't use it for this trip, I may change it when I get back to a CM7 sd boot to play with till I'm used to it. Also, I am rooting a NC for a Niece before I leave, and I think I'm going to change tactics and put CM on it instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea. Install CM7 on your niece's NC (INTERNALLY :silly: ) and see how you like it. I guarantee you'll like it, and so will she. Since you messed with the partitions, I would suggest you visit the CM7.2 Mirage thread and post if the changes in partition sizes should make any problems with flashing.
Thank you for all this great info! I had read about the SOD issue, but I usually keep my wifi off when not using it, so I'm not too worried about that - it helps battery life some too. Interesting, I hadn't realized lion batts had that limited a lifespan. I haven't noticed a whole lot of change in my own NC's life, but to be honest I haven't looked either. I should.
Regardless, great to know CM is better at battery life.
sagirfahmid3 said:
I have all my games and non-essential apps on my 32GB class 10 microSD, both on my NC and NT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, that brings up the issue of class 2 vs class 10 cards and stability. There are a few threads that have benchmarked SD cards for running CM ROMS and have found the best and most stable - especially for large cards - is a 16 Gb Cl2 SanDisk... it looked by recent discussions that this is still the case, have you noticed this at all? My card is also Cl10, and as of now I think I would want to run CM off of an SD, at least until I'm used to it.
Turns out I didn't mess with my partitions after all. Gotta love computer systems! LOL Turns out the issue was version of stock I was running, and only that. I re-registered, updated to 4.3 stock and all is fine. You would think I would learn one day to read, step away and consider, instead of banging my head against a wall repeatedly. I should have figured it out much sooner, Leapinlar basically spelled it out for the other member who had this problem. And it completely explains the issues I had too. I may end up messing with them correctly again though.
I did not know the NC ended up having a blue tooth after all! I remember the speculation but the teardowns had only begun then and I never followed up on them. Now that IS interesting!
My Niece's on the other hand does have a corrupted partition, but from something she did to it. I think I will flash CM to the emmc, nice idea!

GPS problems but no one has a solution

I posted a while ago about the GPS failing to find even a single satellite. I got no responses, just a redirect to this forum. Since then I have searched and searched but no one has a solution to this common problem. I watched a video about cleaning the antenna contacts and performed this cleaning - no help. I have tried numerous apps that are supposed to help - no help. I took the tablet out of its case - no help. I even set the tablet out in the backyard for 45 minutes with a GPS app running as was suggested by someone - no help. I can't find anything at all about updating or re-installing GPS drivers or firmware so i don't know if that is even an option, but if there is a way to do this I would sure like help trying that. I have Titanium backups from before the GPS outage but I don't know which ones control the GPS.
It is as though this is a taboo subject and no one wants to even talk about it, but I did see that LOTS of people are having the same problem. Doesn't anyone have a solid solution short of just buying a new tablet? The GPS worked on a flight from TX to TN last March but never worked again after that. Could something on that flight have jammed or disabled my GPS?
If anyone has a solid solution based on actual resolution of this same problem, a lot of people would appreciate knowing about it.
Thank you.
Oooh i luv a good conspiracy! xD
Although i don't think taboo has any thing to do with it, now, if we were talking about dwarf elephants,sodomy and juggling then that would be troubling! But i think the empire is too busy tripping over the trump disaster to jam your gps. xD
okay, start by cycling through your back ups and find the one that worked, though i don't know much about titanium backup. It would have been smarter to use an actual recovery to make you backups.
The reason most common for not finding an answer or even a lead to one is insufficient data.
I have a tab4 and gps doesn't work, is literally nothing to go on.
What OS and/or firmware were/are you running? Did you install a custom kernel? Did you modify your OS with questionable applications or modifications that came at a cost or broke something?
What tab 4 is your tab 4? there are about 11-16 of them. Specifying the 8.0 is still not good enough.
It is interesting that you got some function on a flight. That's definitely worth a ? . I don't think a "jamming device" would fry your gps though.
I would say that you should first restore your tab back to cherry, meaning the original state you purchased/recieved it in and walk your mod process forward. Take notes and get logs.
m
Moonbutt74, thanks for responding.
My Tab 4 8.0 is model SM-T330NU
It's rooted & has several of the nice apps that can be used on rooted devices. Nothing was added between the time the GPS worked and when I noticed it not working. I am ALMOST certain of that. If there were a way to check logs for changes maybe I could get a clue - hadn't thought of that 'till now. Do you know how to do that? I suppose restoration to original state may end up being necessary, but I would sure like to avoid that. Everything else works just as I like it except for the fact that Google is still spying on me. There's no stable custom ROM yet as far as I can tell.
Yes, GPS worked fine on several commercial flights. It's fun seeing things on the ground and seeing what they are on the map + knowing speed and ETA.
O,
okay that's the main question, in -flight i guess your "line of sight" to gps satellites is unhindered, if it's anything like satellite tv service, then what's you situation on ground? Meaning canopy, and cloud cover. Back up your full current rom through recovery to external sd card. And then revert your tab to it's factory state. If you haven't modified the contents of your system directory after rooting then after doing factory reset while in recovery should put you back to your initial state.
Logging,
if you don't know how to set up adb there are plenty of threads dedicated to the subject, get that set up.
once your tab is cherry, get it connected to your pc abd run adb shell
once in adb shell run logcat -c to clear your log
start a gps related function or app
run logcat without any arguments for a "live" logcat
You have a huge log to go through , but go through every line.
You'll get the idea of how to read the log as you go.
We know that as of the LP 5.1.1 update to the sm-t330nu that samsung tried to disable ir blaster, so who knows?
I didn't know the wifi variants had gps.
m
moonbutt74 said:
O,
okay that's the main question, in -flight i guess your "line of sight" to gps satellites is unhindered, if it's anything like satellite tv service, then what's you situation on ground? Meaning canopy, and cloud cover. Back up your full current rom through recovery to external sd card. And then revert your tab to it's factory state. If you haven't modified the contents of your system directory after rooting then after doing factory reset while in recovery should put you back to your initial state.
Logging,
if you don't know how to set up adb there are plenty of threads dedicated to the subject, get that set up.
once your tab is cherry, get it connected to your pc abd run adb shell
once in adb shell run logcat -c to clear your log
start a gps related function or app
run logcat without any arguments for a "live" logcat
You have a huge log to go through , but go through every line.
You'll get the idea of how to read the log as you go.
We know that as of the LP 5.1.1 update to the sm-t330nu that samsung tried to disable ir blaster, so who knows?
I didn't know the wifi variants had gps.
m
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have posted this in a new thread, but I'll tell you the short version: My Allow Mock Locations was disabled in Settings/General/Developer options/Allow mock locations...). When I enabled this my GPS started working. Such a simple thing but a total odyssey to find out about it. OB

Onn 10.1 Android Tablet help with root/tethering

I have not seen a lot about this tablet other than it is Walmart's brand name, it is cheap, and it is based upon the MT8163. (The OEM is actually Chunghsin Technology Group CO according to FCC documents.) Anyway, I needed a cheap Android development platform, and this seemed to fit the bill since it appears less locked down than the Amazon Fire 7 I have -- however, I have already rooted the Fire 7.
What I am ultimately trying to do is connect a BeagleBone to an Android tablet using rndis over USB. On the Fire, this required running a script to set sys.usb.config as well as set up the networking details for the virtual ethernet port. I was hoping the Onn would be more standard, and I could just enable tethering and not have to deal with custom shell scripts. That is not quite the case. I cannot enable tethering with a BeagleBone (the option is greyed out), but I do appear to be able to enable tethering with a Windows 10 PC.
I can connect via ADB and get a shell, but I cannot get root access where I can query sys.usb.config or dmesg or anything else particularly useful that I know how to use. I can however, unlock the boot loader (via developer options), but that is where I am stuck. If I boot the tablet and hold the volume down key, I get a menu in Chinese or I get a factory test also in Chinese. Since the bootloader is unlocked, I should be able to load something else, but I'm enough of a newbie to have no idea what version of what I should load. I really just want a simple generic Android tablet to use as a UI and a platform as I learn Android development. Can anyone give some assistance on a direction? I've used Linux for years, but I'm taking the crash course in Android.
Update: For reasons I cannot explain, I can now get to an English menu. Volume up and power on gives me some options to Fastboot, Recovery, or Normal. So, I just need a recommendation on what to load.
I'm going to answer my own question. Most of the answers can be found in this thread that addresses rooting MTK based devices:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/amazing-temp-root-mediatek-armv8-t3922213
Running mtk-su does indeed work on these Walmart tablets. (Shame searching for "Walmart" does not turn up the results I needed.)
What type of modifications have you been able to make?
Were you able to find a solution for permanent root? (edit: saw your answer in the MTK thread).
creeve4 said:
What type of modifications have you been able to make?
Were you able to find a solution for permanent root? (edit: saw your answer in the MTK thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know what OP has but I have Magisk running EdXposed with gravitybox. Only a few minor tweaks so far, like navbar colors and power menu. Reboot recovery and screenshot works so far thats all I've really tried. I used sm commands to partition sdcard and still testing that. Screen gets a little confused at times, not really lag just weird and erratic. Overall its been fun about as expected on performance. Don't open the tablet or you will be disappointed by just how cheap it actually looks inside. Crimped and creased wires and cables with crooked poor looking connections. If anybody starts anything with project treble on this let me know, I at least want to test.
Personally, I stopped working on rooting when I was able to connect without it. It looks like others are having success, and I expect someone will publish (if it has not already been done) a step by step process.
Well... there's this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/how-to-unlock-root-xposed-onn-8-walmart-t3945284
I truly appreciate the work an effort made to do this, unfortunately I'm lost. Would it be possible for a tutorial by chance. I'm sorry for the inconveniences I truly am, I just don't know how to start this. My goal is to dual boot Kali Linux and Android Pie. I've got experience with Odin etc but for some reason no luck with this. thank you so much for your time and patience.
Honestly I just wanna take one of these and set it up with stock (vanilla) android 9 and exclusively use F-Droid only on it.
Unfortunately, the specs are weak and it makes even mundane pdf reading an arduous task at best (so I hear...I do not own it yet.)
3drinks said:
Honestly I just wanna take one of these and set it up with stock (vanilla) android 9 and exclusively use F-Droid only on it.
Unfortunately, the specs are weak and it makes even mundane pdf reading an arduous task at best (so I hear...I do not own it yet.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you buy one you can unlock, root and install numerous gsi's without gapps and run a foss device. I'm using the 8" version that way. You can also run microG to use any google apps you may want. If you want any.

Zte blade a7 prime given to me with hacked or custom ROM? New at this, please help.

So obviously I'm not just new to the community here but I also to android development and rooting and well pretty much everything beyond being a smartphone owner.
So a so-called friend of mine gave me a zte blade a7 prime. I have been using this phone for awhile now and have noticed some weird stuff happening. I started when I first got the phone. I was looking at the installed apps and the system apps and there was a lot of apps doubled and tripled. Something seemed off to me. So I did a hard reset and I didn't seem like it did any good. Most of the installed apps were still there and like I said Im not experienced in this area but I have been interested in learning more about the android architecture and feel that this is a good a place to start as any. So I didn't heed my own inner warnings and began using this phone. One day I found an unrecognized device attached to my google account. During security checkup google informs me that this unfamiliar device accessed my gmail and my saved passwords and the IRS Id.me login page. After much gaslighting and accusations of me being paranoid weeks go by and another unrecognized device this time according to google a Linux laptop was connected to my google account and had accessed my saves passwords and erased them. Not a big deal but extremely irritating and demoralizing to have someone so freely traipsing through my phone and and my accounts and my identity when I had considered my self somewhat security conscious. When I started out I had no clue as to how someone was getting my passwords or however they were gaining access. After some days of research I believe that the phone has a custom ROM that is under someone else's control or maybe they changed the imei number through engineering mode and the also have a phone with the same imei number. So to make this short i m at my wits end with this nonsense and would like to learn all I can so this doesn't happen again. I understand that this is going to cause some embarrassment but I have to start somewhere and couldn't think of a better place to start.

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